OCN in the Media

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Airbnbs declared ‘illegal’ as NSW government cracks down on holidaymakers

2020-09-21T22:04:14+10:00

6 April 2020 It is now illegal for anyone in NSW to stay in an Airbnb or similar short-term letting agency accommodation, a government spokesman has declared. Under the new coronavirus regulations, no one should be staying anywhere other than their own permanent home, and they could be fined or imprisoned if they were found to be breaking emergency rules. “There’s zero reason for someone to stay in an Airbnb,” said [...]

Airbnbs declared ‘illegal’ as NSW government cracks down on holidaymakers2020-09-21T22:04:14+10:00

Disrupting the disruptors: how COVID-19 will shake up Airbnb

2020-10-28T19:34:39+11:00

6 April 2020 Airbnb was built on the premise of bringing the world closer together. Tourists could travel like locals, while locals could cash in on their desirable neighbourhood properties by letting those visitors in. Last year the company was estimated to be worth more than US$30bn. It is scheduled to go public in 2020. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Stephen Colman, who was an Airbnb host and ran an [...]

Disrupting the disruptors: how COVID-19 will shake up Airbnb2020-10-28T19:34:39+11:00

Bad news for Airbnb could be blessed relief for renters

2020-10-07T15:40:56+11:00

4 APRIL 2020 It seems oddly appropriate, if not ironic, that a business that effectively grew virally on the internet should have suffered more than most because of COVID-19. Those who watched with dismay while short-term holiday lets moved into apartment blocks where they weren’t welcome or, in some cases, legally permitted, may have witnessed the current collapse of the holiday-letting industry with a certain grim satisfaction. These days the blows [...]

Bad news for Airbnb could be blessed relief for renters2020-10-07T15:40:56+11:00

Airbnb packages risk creating viral hot-spots in apartments

2020-10-07T15:41:38+11:00

20 MARCH 2020 Apartment residents across Australia are angry that their buildings could be turned into high-risk viral hot-spots, as Airbnb hosts offer self-isolation packages to returned overseas travellers. Airbnb hosts globally are reeling after a dramatic downturn in visitors due to travel restrictions and an Airbnb decision to waive cancellation fees for stays booked up to April 14 and possibly beyond. As a result, some hosts are compensating by offering special [...]

Airbnb packages risk creating viral hot-spots in apartments2020-10-07T15:41:38+11:00

NSW plans ratings tool for developers, builder and certifiers

2020-10-07T15:42:51+11:00

30 JANUARY 2020 Developers, builders and certifiers will be rated on their record of building failures, finances, complaints, insurance claims and other such factors under a new tool being developed by NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler and data company Equifax. "This will start to join up the players," Mr Chandler told The Australian Financial Review. "When you look into a project that is about to be developed, it’s useful to people like [...]

NSW plans ratings tool for developers, builder and certifiers2020-10-07T15:42:51+11:00

Unit buyers to pay for ratings check on dodgy apartments under reforms

2020-08-31T17:14:56+10:00

23 January 2020 Having grappled for more than 12 months with the fallout from three evacuated buildings and abandoned apartments that have trashed confidence in the industry, the Berejiklian government announced on Monday new powers for the Building Commissioner to use the rating tool to select sites to audit and halt dodgy apartment projects. In a blog post last week, Building Commissioner David Chandler said: "By 2025, it should be possible [...]

Unit buyers to pay for ratings check on dodgy apartments under reforms2020-08-31T17:14:56+10:00

Risk rating system for builders proposed to prevent defective towers

2020-08-31T17:15:22+10:00

21 January 2020 A risk-rating system for builders and new powers for the building regulator to stop suspect high-rise apartment towers are among measures the NSW government wants introduced to avoid further incidents like Sydney's cracked Opal and Mascot towers. The government used the release of the measures to renew pressure on Labor and the crossbench to pass its building reform legislation, which stalled in the NSW Upper House late last [...]

Risk rating system for builders proposed to prevent defective towers2020-08-31T17:15:22+10:00

Cracked towers spark widespread safety fears about high rises: poll

2020-08-31T00:01:28+10:00

13 JANUARY 2020 Eight in 10 Sydneysiders have safety concerns about the structural soundness of high-rise apartment buildings in the wake of the crisis sparked by the cracked Opal and Mascot towers. An Ipsos poll of residents for advocacy group the Committee for Sydney found the quality of construction and the structural integrity of towers were by far their biggest safety concerns, followed by fears of becoming trapped in a [...]

Cracked towers spark widespread safety fears about high rises: poll2020-08-31T00:01:28+10:00

The Elephant in the Room – Top 10 Podcasts

2020-10-07T15:50:16+11:00

30 DECEMBER 2020 > Listen to The Elephant In The Room Podcast - Episode 68 (How bad things can go with buying strata property) Karen Stiles > Listen to The Elephant in the Room Podcast - Episode 100 (Host favourites from the last 100 episodes) Veronica Morgan & Chris Bates

The Elephant in the Room – Top 10 Podcasts2020-10-07T15:50:16+11:00

Unit Dwellers Powerless to Stop Electricity Rip-Off

2020-10-06T22:14:44+11:00

29 December 2019 People living in apartments are being treated as “second class citizens” by paying more for electricity after the state government abandoned plans for reforms which would have saved people thousands of dollars on power bills. The NSW government is being blasted for allowing developers and electricity providers to continue to run monopolies in new buildings. Owners Corporation Network's Karen Stiles said the government had let down unit owners. [...]

Unit Dwellers Powerless to Stop Electricity Rip-Off2020-10-06T22:14:44+11:00
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